Gundam Wing Revelations
by DFK
Summary: The original pilots are missing, and their children are under OZ control. Part two isn't done yet. Co-written with Kat Silver. Please Read and Review!
1. Default Chapter

Gundam Wing- Classic:  
  
The New Gundam Generation  
  
By: Dragon's Fire Kai & Phoenix Tears  
  
Part One  
  
A Need For Heroes  
  
"Ab honesto virum bonum nihil deterret." Senca. "Nothing deters a good man from doing what is honorable."  
  
Prologue  
  
Four years after Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Quatre Winner, Wufei Chang, and Trowa Barton defeated OZ in the great war of Operation Meteor, they settled down to live in peace. In the year A.C. 214 all of the pilots were missing. However, there were others who knew how to pilot Gundams. Five pilots, actually. Five of them, the same number as before. These pilots were also parents. A group of renegade Gundam pilots created new Mobile Dolls and formed a new organization, NEO OZ. The originators attacked and destroyed the five remaining pilots and captured their children. Eighteen years later, the organization had total power of the colonies. Two of the six children who were taken were taken had started remembering their pasts. They did not know their real names, but they knew they were brothers, and possibly twins. They named themselves Ray and Lance Hino. Ray and Lance, both eighteen, were built well, and were very smart. Ray was 5'11" and weighed 172 pounds. Lance, his identical twin, was and looked the same. This is their story...  
  
Chapter I The Escape Plan  
  
The light rays of the sun shone into the brothers' bedroom in their barracks. It was a simple room, really, but surprisingly big. Each had a queen-size bed on either side of the room. A bathroom and dining room were down the hall, east of Ray's bed. The living room, with a TV, was south of Lance's bed. Lance's bed that was usually made up by now was still occupied by Lance, and Ray, the one who usually slept the latest, was awake and already dressed. He was wearing a black tank top with blue jeans and his leather jacket.  
  
"Lance, wake up. Lance!" Ray said, frustrated.  
  
"Wha..why?" Lance asked groggily.  
  
"Come on, let's go, we've gotta talk to Chang," Ray replied urgently.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm up," Lance said, pushing himself out of bed. He dressed in his green tank top, blue jeans, and leather jacket, then the twins made breakfast. Lance revived a lot with a cup of coffee.  
  
"Come on, let's go down to the hanger," Ray said, strangely eager to talk to the Oz commander Wan Chang.  
  
"Okay, just chill for a minute. Let's clean up," Lance replied. They cleaned up and headed for the door. Ray popped his jacket collar down.  
  
"Why are you bringing your sketch pad?" Lance asked.  
  
"'Cause I designed two new Gundams, Firebolt and Inferno."  
  
"Oh," Lance replied, and let the matter drop. But he wondered why Ray had designed two Gundams for no apparent reason.  
  
OZ soldiers had captured Ray and Lance long ago. They would have been killed, had it not been for their strange abilities. Ray, with the ability design incredibly powerful Gundams and Mobile Doll units, and Lance, with the ability to program and build the superior suits that his brother designed in very little time.  
  
An OZ officer was standing near one of Ray's newest Doll designs, which had just been built.  
  
"Commander Chang," Ray started, "I have designed two new Gundams and a new series of Dolls." He handed the commander his sketchpad. The commander looked over it.  
  
"I don't think we can build your new dolls just yet. We just finished building these," Commander Chang said, pointing over his shoulder at the rows of Mobile Dolls.  
  
"Why not?" asked Ray. "They're the most powerful I've ever designed."  
  
"What? They are? Okay, we'll build them!"  
  
"Great! The Gundams too?!" asked Lance.  
  
"Sure, why not."  
  
Ray and Lance walked back toward their quarters  
  
"Lance?" Ray started.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"My plan is working," Ray finished. Lance looked at his twin in surprise, then turned to open the door to their barracks.  
  
"What plan?" asked Lance.  
  
"Listen for a minute, will ya?" replied Ray. Lance sat down on his bed, and waited for an explanation.  
  
"After they build the Dolls and Gundams, they'll try them out first, right?" Ray looked uncharasterically excited.  
  
"Yeah, why?" Lance asked, uncertain of what his brother was getting at.  
  
"We pilot the Gundams, then in Inferno and Firebolt we'll fly right out of here," he concluded.  
  
"What makes you think they're gonna let us pilot them?"  
  
"Because only we are gonna be able to use the program you're gonna design!"  
  
"Oh! Cool!" said Lance. "Let's do it!"  
  
Chapter II Firebolt and Inferno  
  
The next morning the put their plan into action.  
  
"Ray, Lance," it was Commander Chang's voice over the intercom, "come to the flight simulator now."  
  
"Let's go," Lance said sharply. But Ray could sense that his brother was as excited as he was to start preparing for their escape mission. They walked quickly to the simulator room.  
  
"You two, into the simulator now," Chang ordered.  
  
"Yes, sir," Ray and Lance chorused. They entered separate simulators. The controls hummed to life as the simulated battle data scrolled across the screen. Mobile Dolls and simulated enemy Gundams started attacking them. They handled the controls like they had done this all of their lives. In a matter of minutes they had destroyed dozens of Mobile Dolls and a handful of Gundams each.  
  
Thirty minutes they emerged from the simulators.  
  
"Very, very well done, both of you," congratulated Commander Chang.  
  
"Thanks," said Ray. Neither of them looked the least bit tired from their battles.  
  
"You will both be able to pilot a Gundam for OZ in the next battle against the colonies."  
  
"Great!" Lance said with fake enthusiasm.  
  
The next day, both brothers woke up early. They made some coffee and breakfast, then got ready to pilot their first Gundams. They had on the same outfits they always wore: tanktops, jeans, and leather jackets.  
  
"Ray, Lance, you will pilot the Gundams San-tos and Fla-ran," said Chang.  
  
"What?" cried Ray, outraged. "We wanted to pilot Firebolt and Inferno! No one else can pilot them."  
  
"We have chosen Tal-scran and Mio-sang to pilot those suits," replied Chang, not at all bothered about Ray's outburst.  
  
"No," Lance said, calmer than his brother, "My program will only let one of us pilot them."  
  
"Sure," said Chang sarcastically.  
  
"Okay, we'll make you a deal. You win you can kill us, we win, we get to keep the Gundams forever. Deal?" Ray proposed. Chang hesitated for a moment.  
  
"Deal," Chang said finally. Secretly Chang had always wanted the twins dead but he was acting with restraint under higher orders.  
  
"We'll let the OZ pilots go first," said Lance.  
  
"You heard him, go on," Chang said to the other two pilots. They got in the Gundams, then came back out three minutes later.  
  
"Sir, we can't get them to work," said one of the pilots. Ray and Lance looked at Chang with a smug look.  
  
"Go, you two," Chang said to Ray and Lance. They jumped up, and climbed into the cockpits of the Gundams. The controls hummed to life and the Gundams started working. "Okay! You can keep Firebolt and Inferno!" he walked away, grumbling something about "Uppity teenagers."  
  
Chapter III Matt, Quro, Taro, and Cat  
  
The two brothers transformed their Gundams into jets and headed for the south side of the OZ complex and landed. They ran into the complex. 'ZZZM'. A laser blast narrowly missed them.  
  
"Freeze you two!" somebody yelled. A tall blond woman and three tall brown haired men were standing in front of them, laser pistols drawn.  
  
"Who are you?" Ray asked.  
  
"We're OZ's private body guards. I'm Cat," the blonde woman introduced herself.  
  
"I'm Matt."  
  
"Quro."  
  
"And I'm Taro."  
  
"We're Ray and Lance Hino of Colony 12 and pilots of the Gundams Firebolt and Inferno," Ray said. Lance looked from one bodyguard to the next.  
  
"Colony 12... that's where we're from. We've been trying to escape for years. We were taken when we were children. I still dream about it," Cat said. She put her pistol away. Matt, Quro, and Taro followed her example.  
  
"We're escaping now," Lance said.  
  
"Really? Can we come too?" asked Matt.  
  
"Sure," said Ray, "Just give us three days to design and build you each a Gundam."  
  
"Great! See you Saturday," said Taro. Quro had remained silent throughout the whole meeting. They walked off as Ray and Lance headed back to their quarters.  
  
"Damn. I thought we were the only ones that OZ captured," Ray said.  
  
"So did I. I guess OZ works on a larger scale than we thought," Lance replied. He sounded lost in thought. "Ray?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Ray answered, punching the button too open the door to their barracks.  
  
"When are you gonna design their Gundams?'  
  
"I already have," he grabbed his sketchpad off of the table and opened it to a page with a complicated design on it. "Here's Tiger's Eye, Cyclone Wing, Scytho, and Bladewing."  
  
"I'll start building them tomorrow then?"  
  
"Fine with me," said Ray. Then they went to sleep early so that they could start early on the Gundams.  
  
Chapter IV  
  
Gundam Tiger's Eye  
  
"Ray, Ray, wake up!" Lance exclaimed, shaking Ray.  
  
"Wha d'ya want?" Ray asked sleepily. He sat up and stretched.  
  
"We finished Gundam Tiger's Eye!" Ray stopped in mid-yawn.  
  
"What? Really?" exclaimed Ray.  
  
"Yeah. My guys worked all night to finish it," Lance replied. He leaned against the wall at the foot of Ray's bed. Ray could tell that he had been working hard. There was a grease smear on Lance's forehead, and several more on his jeans.  
  
"The Gundam is Cat's, right?" Lance nodded. "Let's go give it to her then." They left, creeping down the hallways of the OZ complex. When they came to the forest where they had left their Gundams climbed into the cockpit and took off toward the south side of the complex. They landed behind the building where Cat and the others were staying. They walked through the door they had entered when they had first met their new friends. They silently opened the door and crept down to Cat's quarters.  
  
"Knock knock," Ray said quietly against her door.  
  
"Come in," Cat said in a whisper, barely audible to the twins. They opened the door and came in slowly as to not make any sudden noises. Lance closed the door quietly and they walked towards Cat who was writing what appeared to be a poem of some sort in the corner.  
  
"Give me a minute," she said.  
  
"Cool," Ray responded. She opened a folder and slid her papers in it, then slid the folder under her chair. Ray and Lance pulled up a couple of chairs to the table where she was sitting. Ray pulled a small CD out of his breast pocket and handed it to Cat.  
  
"That's what your Gundam looks like and what it does," Lance said as she booted up her laptop. She put the disk in the computer. Instantly an image of Tiger's Eye appeared.  
  
"I love it," she said, watching fascinated as the hologram rotated slowly, showing the suit. Type ran across the top of the screen.  
  
"Good. Cause it's already landed behind the complex where ours are," Ray said  
  
"Can I go see it?"  
  
"No. After we finish the other Gundams, you can see them all together," Lance said.  
  
"All right. See ya in two days," Cat said, waving.  
  
"Okay, bye," the twins chorused, waving back. They crept back to their Gundams.  
  
Chapter V  
  
Gundam Cyclone Wing  
  
Ray and Lance arrived back at their quarters after working on the Gundams. Around 2:00A.M. They went to sleep and got up early to start working on the next three Gundams. At 3:00 PM they had already finished Matt's Gundam, Cyclone Wing. That night they went and dropped Matt's Gundam off in the same place where they had dropped Cat's the previous day. They had informed Matt of his Gundam and given him the CD. Ray and Lance were about to re- enter the Gundams when someone called, "Hey, you two freeze!" The twins turned around to face six guards in black OZ body armor that had them at gunpoint.  
  
"Okay, sorry, we were... uh.... Trying to find General Chang to give him this new design for Mobile Dolls," Ray said sickly.  
  
"Yeah right," the guard smirked.  
  
"Raise your hands above your heads, you're coming with us!" another guard said. Ray and Lance raised their hands over their heads  
  
"We'll go quietly," Lance said.  
  
"Oh no they won't," it was Cat and Matt also in full armor with their laser pistols drawn. They fired several times each, and the guards dropped.  
  
"What the hell kinda stunt you tryin' to pull!" Cat screamed.  
  
"We were trying to get back to our Gundams," Ray replied calmly. Cat and Matt put their guns back in their holsters then walked back to their quarters. Ray and Lance went to go get started on Scytho and Bladewing.  
  
  
  
Chapter VI  
  
Gundams Scytho and Bladewing  
  
The twins immediately started working on Scytho. While Lance and his crew built Scytho, Ray looked over the schematics on Bladewing. Scytho was soon finished. The next day, the twins got up at 4:00 A.M. to fly the Gundam over to the hiding place where Tiger's Eye and Cyclone Wing were stored. As they had done with the other Gundams, Ray and Lance took the CD to Taro.  
  
"Wow, so this is Scytho. When will we get to escape?" Taro inquired.  
  
"When we finish Bladewing for Quro," Ray replied.  
  
"It'll be finished by the end of the day," Lance chimed in. They left immediately to start working on  
  
Bladewing. This time, Lance and his crew worked on the Gundam while Ray took the disk to Quro. Quro remained strangely silent, only nodding his thanks and approval at Ray. Ray got out of there as fast as he could. He found Lance working on the cockpit wiring.  
  
"Quro sure is quiet," Ray said. Lance looked up from him job.  
  
"Yeah, he is," Lance replied, wiping his forehead with a grease-stained hand.  
  
"Hey, Ray, Lance! What's up?" a voice called. The twins looked down from their perch in the cockpit. Cat was standing by the right foot of the almost-completed Gundam. Ray and Lance waved at her. Cat climbed up the gigantic Gundam.  
  
"What 'cha doing?" she asked as she climbed onto the open door that led to the cockpit.  
  
"We're trying to finish Bladewing for Quro," replied Ray. Lance started fiddling with some wires for the guidance system.  
  
"Quro? He's a quiet one," she said as she leaned against the doorway.  
  
"Yeah, I kinda noticed. It creeps me out," Lance said, still fiddling with the same wires  
  
"Here. Connect that wire to the output hole, and this one to the steering system," she said, reaching over to connect the wires. Lance gaped at her.  
  
"Why is Quro so quiet?" asked Ray.  
  
"I guess he's just shy. He talks to me though. Usually about what happened eighteen years ago," Cat said.  
  
"What?" Ray and Lance asked, surprised.  
  
"It's all in my poems. I wrote them that way so OZ wouldn't realize that at least one of us remembers our past," she said, eyes glazed over in thought. Ray shot Lance a look.  
  
"So," Lance said, breaking the silence. "The Gundam is almost done. All we need to do is make sure it runs." Everyone cleared the area as Lance fired up the Gundam. It hummed to life as Lance pushed a few buttons. He powered it down, and then flew it over to the area where he had left the others.  
  
"Now all we have to do is wait for the next battle. Here's some communicators," Ray said after they had all assembled in Cat's quarters. Lance handed them each a small radio.  
  
A few hours later, the alarm sounded.  
  
Chapter VII  
  
The Escape  
  
"Let's go!" Ray yelled as he pulled his jacket on and ran out the door. His brother was right behind him. Lance called Cat and the others on their communicators. He told them to help during the battle, but talk to no one. During the battle, they would run. To where, they didn't know. But they'd figure that out later. The twins jumped into their Gundams. Lance got into Firebolt, and Ray fired up Inferno. They jetted out of the hanger.  
  
"Destroy all enemy mobile suits!" Commander Chang's voice came over the communicator. Mobile Dolls surrounded the twins. Ray and Lance attacked the suits with their beam scythes and sabers.  
  
"Nani!" Lance swore as he was knocked against the front of his mobile suit. He swung his suit around as he saw the attacking suit get slashed apart. The suit exploded. When the dust cleared, Tiger's Eye stood there. It jetted off, disappearing from sight.  
  
"What was that suit?" Chang asked over the radio. No one answered. Ray smirked as he sliced a few suits in half, and then jetted away to avoid the concussion of the explosions. He was hit from the side by a beam rifle. Inferno swung the beam scythe at his attacker. The suit was slashed from shoulder to hip, the top slid downward before it exploded. Ray turned the suit around again to see Firebolt in front of him on the ground with Tiger's Eye, Scytho, Cyclone Wing, and Bladewing in the air.  
  
"Let's go," Lance said, opening up communications for the first time. They blasted off at the same time, leaving the rest of the troops to finish the battle.  
  
"Where are we going?" asked Matt. "We have to go somewhere."  
  
"Space, probably. We need to find a safe place," Ray said.  
  
"How are we going to get there?" queried Taro.  
  
"The mobile suits are equipped to go through the atmosphere. Am I the only one who read the suit description?" Cat said.  
  
"Hey!" Taro retorted. "We read them too. But you read the same thing over and.."  
  
"Don't start again you two," Matt interrupted.  
  
"Quro? Any ideas?" Lance asked. They had turned on their visual communicators. Quro was studying the radar screen.  
  
"I suggest we get out of here," he said. Right then, all their suits gave the warning bee-ee-eep.  
  
"Ray, Lance, turn back now. This is a direct order from Commander Chang," came a voice over the communications system.  
  
"How many people does it take to catch six teenagers in Gundams?" Ray inquired.  
  
"I dunno. Let's find out," Cat answered. The group changed their Gundams into jets.  
  
"Up! Into space!" yelled Matt. They jetted off, leaving the searchers in a cloud of exhaust.  
  
"Eat my dust!" yelled Ray, pushing the throttle to full speed. The others followed suit.  
  
"Stop or we'll shoot! This is your last chance," came the same voice over the intercom. Cat looked back and noted to speed of the suits.  
  
"Damn! They're fast. But not fast enough," she said, pushing the throttle in even more while silently urging her suit to go faster.  
  
"We may be able to beat them to the atmosphere," Taro said.  
  
"It's worth a shot," replied Lance. Moments later their suits glowed red with the friction of going through the atmosphere. Their pursuers stopped, the suits not equipped for atmospheric flight.  
  
"Where to?" Matt asked again.  
  
"Ummm... How about Colony 12? I've heard they want to be liberated, and they're looking for Gundam pilots," Quro said.  
  
"At least someone did their homework," said Cat. They set a course for Colony 12.  
  
"Hold it," another voice said.  
  
"What now? We're going to Colony 12. We mean no harm," Ray said.  
  
"Why do you want to go there?"  
  
"To get away from OZ," Taro spat.  
  
"Why?" a mobile suit appeared in front of them. It was totally black, with red eyes. The upper torso and head were lined in red. It had a red beam scythe.  
  
"We were taken from Colony 12 eighteen years ago. It's our home. We want to go back," Cat said.  
  
"To get to the colony, you have to defeat me. If you are who you say you are, this should be easy," the voice said. An image appeared on the visual communicators. It was a man with black hair and tan skin. Lance thought he looked familiar but couldn't place it. "My name is Lanoll, from Colony 12, pilot of the mobile suit Gundam Bloodlust."  
  
Lanoll lunged at Matt, signaling the start of the battle. He soon proved to be an even match for all six of them. They managed to land a few blows, but mainly Lanoll just dodged them. Every move Bloodlust made was carefully planned and deadly accurate. He pulled his beam scythe and lunged.  
  
Chapter VIII  
  
Farewell Friends  
  
"Quro!" Cat yelled. Lanoll had just impaled the suit closest to him. Unfortunately, Bladewing was that suit. Lanoll pulled out his scythe and the suit exploded.  
  
"Nooo!" Taro screamed. He turned to Lanoll, Buster Rifle ready. "I will avenge my friend!" He fired at the opposing suit.  
  
"Taro! Calm down!" Matt yelled.  
  
"No! My closest friend was just killed. How can I?"  
  
"You're gonna get yourself killed! Is that what Quro would want?" Matt asked in an attempt to calm the seething pilot. Taro seemed to relax, but attacked again by firing his rifle. The blast missed by a good thirty feet.  
  
"Taro, stop!" yelled Lance.  
  
"Oh, shit! He's gonna get himself killed!" Ray exclaimed. Taro had discarded his rifle and now had  
  
his beam sword. He and Lanoll were now in a battle to the death. Taro would lunge, and Lanoll would meet him. This went on for a long time before Lanoll finally disarmed Taro. Lanoll knocked him around for a little while before finally sticking his scythe through the Gundam's chest. The Gundam exploded around Lanoll's scythe.  
  
"Taro!" Matt yelled.  
  
"Who's next?" asked Lanoll. He sounded bored.  
  
"This is stupid! How can this amount to anything?" Cat asked.  
  
"What?" Lanoll asked. He sounded surprised.  
  
"How can this amount to anything?" she repeated. "This is meaningless. Nothing can come from this. Someone once asked me 'How does two soldiers killing each other solve the problems of the world?' I'm asking you the same thing." No one answered.  
  
"Well spoken. Your ideals remind me of the Peacecraft reign. Follow me," Lanoll said, flying away. The others followed him, confused. They flew toward the huge colony, and entered through a hanger.  
  
"Can we trust him?" Ray asked.  
  
"Do we really have a choice?" countered Matt. Silence settled over the group. Cat's shoulders started shaking with silent sobs. Lance pulled her to him, stroking her hair and murmuring something. Cat nodded her head and pulled away, drying her eyes with the sleeve of her denim jacket.  
  
"Why do you fight for liberation from OZ?" asked Cat.  
  
"I figured you, of all people, would know the answer to that question. We want peace. But the only way we can obtain it is to fight," Lanoll replied.  
  
"There's got to be another way," Lance argued.  
  
"Not that we can see. OZ crushed all of our hope for negotiating for peace. War is the only way left," the pilot replied. "We were hoping the Gundams could help us."  
  
"We'll help you, under one condition," Ray started.  
  
"You name it."  
  
"Help us find our past," he finished.  
  
"Done. We have DNA records for every person born in this colony since it was created," Lanoll replied. The group entered an elevator. The door closed and Lanoll pushed a button. They took the half-minute ride in silence. The doors opened, and the pilots followed Lanoll down a hallway.  
  
"Your quarters," Lanoll said, pointing to Ray and Lance, "are right here. Before I forget, what are your names?"  
  
"I'm Ray, and this is my twin, Lance. That's Matt, and the girl's Cat," Ray said, speaking for the whole group, as he usually did.  
  
"Well, Ray, Lance, your quarters are right here," Lanoll repeated, punching a code in on the keypad. The twins watched his fingers, each memorizing the code for himself. They entered, and the door closed.  
  
"Matt, your quarters are here," Lanoll said, punching in a different code. Matt memorized the code, and entered the room; door sliding shut behind him.  
  
"Cat, your quarters are here," the black-haired man said, punching in yet another code. Cat memorized hers, and entered. "If you need anything just ask," he said before the door closed. All the rooms were set up in the same manner. Bed on one side, or in Ray and Lance's case, a bunk bed to one side. Otherwise, the quarters were set up the same way the ones on Earth are. There was a door on the East and West walls, though. The doors led to the next quarters. Each pilot climbed into his or her bed. Ray claimed the top bed for himself. The pilots were asleep before his or her head hit the pillow.  
  
Chapter IX Space Colony  
  
Cat woke up first. She stared at the ceiling, wondering how all this happened. Matt, Lance, and Ray, respectively, woke up and wondered the same thing. Cat exited her quarters through the door in the west wall.  
  
"Good morning!" she said cheerfully when she stepped into Matt's quarters.  
  
"Mornin'," Matt replied he was sitting at the table. Cat grabbed a chair and sat down opposite him. There came a knock from the door leading to the twins' quarters. The door opened, and Ray and Lance stepped in.  
  
"Hey. I've got a question. What are we supposed to be doing, exactly?" asked Lance.  
  
"I don't really know. When is the next battle?" asked Matt.  
  
"I dunno. There's nothing we can really do until we get some instructions, or the next battle breaks out," Cat replied.  
  
"We need to go out into the colony and investigate," Ray suggested.  
  
"That is a good idea. How about we go and meet back here whenever we get back?" Matt replied. The others readily agreed. They exited the room, following the hallway. They passed several guards, and none questioned them as they passed.  
  
"Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the outside colony?" Lance asked a passing soldier.  
  
"Take this hallway, turn right at the first corridor, go straight until you run into the elevator. Take it to the bottom floor, and you should see the doors leading to the colony," the soldier replied.  
  
"Thanks," Lance said, and the soldier walked off. The group followed the soldier's instructions, and soon they were outside.  
  
"Wow. And to think I was born on this colony," Cat said. "I'm going to go find a bookstore. See-ya!" she said, calling the last part over her shoulder as she ran off.  
  
"I'm just going to wander, and maybe find some food," Matt said, taking off in the opposite direction.  
  
"I'll go find an art store that sells sketch pads. I want to see if there's any way to upgrade our Gundams," Ray said, and started walking straight ahead. Lance just wandered down the sidewalk, looking for nothing in particular.  
  
The group came back, some hours later, each holding at least one shopping bag.  
  
"I found what I was looking for," Ray said triumphantly. He was holding a brand new sketchpad under his arm.  
  
"Ditto," Cat said, motioning to her two shopping bags. "I also found a laundry mat and a clothing store."  
  
"I found a restaurant. Food in the colonies is much better than food on Earth," Matt said.  
  
"The temple is amazing. I found the hanger where our Gundams are stored," Lance said.  
  
"Good. I need a few repairs made on my Gundam," Ray said. The others nodded in agreement.  
  
"Let's go set our stuff down, go some place to eat, and then start the repairs on our suits," Cat said.  
  
"Is that okay? I haven't eaten anything since we escaped from OZ. I just now realized how hungry I am."  
  
"Yeah FOOD!" Matt exclaimed. Everyone laughed.  
  
"Yeah, Matt, FOOD," Ray and Lance chorused. They went upstairs, set down their bags, and met in front of the door of Matt's quarters.  
  
"Where are we going?" Lance asked.  
  
"I don't know. Did anyone see a restaurant while they were wondering around?" Cat asked.  
  
"I did. It's like a food court. They've got everything," Matt said.  
  
"Why does that not surprise me? Next to fighting, the first thing you think about is food," Cat teased.  
  
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" The foursome walked down the hallway yet again, Cat and Matt still arguing. They didn't stop until they got to the food court. Each of them just ordered a buffet from a restaurant so they could get what ever they wanted. Lance chose a table, and the group sat down, Cat and Lance on one side, Ray and Matt on the other.  
  
"Whatcha' writin', Cat?" Matt asked. Cat looked up at him.  
  
"A poem. But this one doesn't make sense," she said. "It's like something was telling my brain what to write." The blonde haired woman frowned at the paper, brow wrinkling in concentration. She just sighed, closing the notebook and setting it on the table. The group ate their dinner in silence. Cat got up suddenly, grabbed her notebook, and raced away.  
  
"That was odd. I wonder what happened to her?" Ray wondered out loud No one answered. "I'm going after her," he said, pushing back his chair. Lance and Matt looked at each other.  
  
"Think we should go after them?" Matt asked.  
  
"Nah. They'll be fine. Ray'll tell me what happened when he gets back," Lance replied. The two finished their dinner, left a tip, and walked off. Returning to the hanger, they started repairs on the Gundams, each wondering at Cat and Ray's strange behavior.  
  
**Cat and Ray**  
  
"Cat! Hey Cat! Wait up," Ray yelled. If the woman heard him, she paid no heed. She just kept on running. Ray ran after her, dodging the few pedestrians that were doing there shopping before the shops closed for the day. "Cat!" she finally stopped, leaning against a tree for support.  
  
"Cat, what's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Everything," she muttered. "Help me back to the hanger. I think I hurt my foot running," she said, wincing as she tried to stand.  
  
"What happened? What made you get up like that?" Ray said, supporting the limping pilot.  
  
"A memory. The poem. It all makes sense! When we sat down to eat, it was like a gate opened up, and everything came spilling out. Bits and pieces of memory, just enough to shape into a poem. So far I've just used Quro's memories for my past. But. now I'm starting to remember my own," she said. They were almost to the hanger. "Each one of us has our own past. We've known each other since we were babies, though. Quro and Taro are the only ones that don't fit in the picture."  
  
"What do you mean, they don't fit in the picture?"  
  
"That's just it. They came from a different area. But they were taken the same time we were," she said.  
  
"Here's the hanger. Do you feel like working on your Gundam?"  
  
"Yeah. My foot is better now. I think I just twisted it a little. I can still climb up the Gundam."  
  
"Who said anything about climbing? We're in outer space, remember? No gravity."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot," she said sheepishly. Ray walked over to his Gundam and pushed off. He grabbed a handhold on the bottom of his cockpit door. Cat did the same. They were just pulling themselves up and over when Lance and Matt noticed them.  
  
"Hey! What's up?" Ray called.  
  
"Nothing!" Matt called back. He got to work, reconfiguring the cockpit system that suffered minor damages when they battled with Bloodlust. Firebolt, Lance's Gundam, had damages to it's left arm, as did Ray's, only Inferno's right arm and back were damaged. Cat's was somehow the least damaged. But the radar and guidance systems were malfunctioning. Each got to work.  
  
"Hey Lance! You messed up on my radar and guidance systems!"  
  
"No I didn't! Ray did! He designed it!"  
  
"But you built it! So you messed it up!"  
  
"What's wrong with it?" Lance appeared in the cockpit door.  
  
"I think you wired it wrong somehow or another. Either that, or it's just a faulty piece of equipment." She dismantled the radar screen, revealing a tangle of wires. Carefully, Lance reached around her to probe through the wires.  
  
"Here ya go. This wire," he said, "should be connected here, not where it was." He replaced the screen. "Now, about that guidance system?"  
  
"I can handle that. I've seen this problem before," she grabbed a screwdriver and pulled the panel above the throttle up. "You just switched the wires again."  
  
"But I did every Gundam the same way," he argued.  
  
"Maybe so, but you still did it wrong. If you do this," she said, demonstrating, "the Gundam's reaction time increases a little."  
  
"What did you do?" he asked. Cat smiled shyly and proudly showed him a part.  
  
"I've found you didn't need this. You also connect the steering wires directly into the engine wires."  
  
"Cool," he said, and then he left to go work on his Gundam's arm. Ray grabbed a welding gun and started welding the arm back together. Lance reconnected the wires that were severed when his arm got hit. Now all Lance had to do was weld his Gundam's arm back together, like Ray. Matt was working on adjusting his cockpit, compensating for the weight of his weapons. Cat was perched on the edge of her cockpit door, writing in her notebook. Soon they were all done, and they went back to their rooms. It was about 1:45 A.M. After exchanging good nights, they each entered their own quarters and went to sleep.  
  
Chapter X Battle in Space  
  
The group was woken up by an alarm. The sound of running feet echoed down the hallway.  
  
"What's going on?" Ray yelled.  
  
"OZ attack!" one soldier yelled back.  
  
"Let's go!" Lance yelled. The group joined the rest of the soldiers that were heading toward the hanger.  
  
"They're after us, you know," Cat said.  
  
"We know, Cat, we know," Lance said. "But they can't get what they can't catch." The group had reached the hanger. The each of the pilots got into their Gundams.  
  
"If we went ahead and gave ourselves up, no one would get hurt," Matt said.  
  
"No way! Even if it means we die, they're not gonna get us. We are the hope for the colonies. I would rather die than go back to that place," Lance said. "What would it mean to the colonies if we just gave up? We are their hope."  
  
"Am I the only one who wants to show OZ that they can't get us?" Cat asked. "Let's go!"  
  
"Let's do this. Remember: they can't get what they can't catch," Ray chimed in.  
  
"Hey! That's my line!" Lance protested.  
  
"I know," Ray said slyly.  
  
"Save it for OZ, you two!" Cat yelled. She jetted out of the hanger; the others close behind her.  
  
"Nice to see you," came Lanoll's voice over the communications system.  
  
"Same to you," Ray replied.  
  
"I already told the soldiers about all of you. They won't interfere with you unless you ask or you're in danger," the pilot informed them.  
  
"We owe ya," Lance said, "big time."  
  
"Don't mention it. We owe you," Lanoll said modestly. Each jetted off in their own direction to their own fight.  
  
Matt found his first. A group of Mobile Dolls attacked him.  
  
"New models? Man, OZ works fast," Matt said.  
  
"I designed these," Ray said over the communications system.  
  
"What?!" Cat yelled.  
  
"I designed then, Lance built them. We were the top engineers for OZ," Ray explained.  
  
"Well, tell me how to beat these stupid Dolls!" Cat yelled, trying to avoid the beam sword of one Mobile Doll while trying to blow up another.  
  
"How am I supposed to know? I designed these right before we escaped! I didn't think we'd actually make it this far!"  
  
"What?!" Matt yelled. "Oh, gee, thanks for telling us! Anything else?"  
  
"The Dolls repair themselves," Ray almost whispered.  
  
"WHAT?" the shout was from the remaining pilots, including Lanoll.  
  
"They repair themselves. But if you cut them completely in half, they will explode. Take my word for it," Lance said.  
  
"Okay, I think we got it," Lanoll said. "Just do what he says."  
  
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers and the Gundam pilots answered.  
  
The pilots again turned to their individual battles. Within ten minutes, most of the Dolls had been destroyed, but not without a drastic depletion in the colony soldier's numbers. The radar beeped.  
  
"Back up troops!" Lanoll yelled. "Let's do this. Again." He sounded tired.  
  
"Doesn't the colony have some Mobile Dolls? Or more soldiers?" Cat asked.  
  
"This is most of our force. No Dolls whatsoever," Lanoll replied.  
  
"I can help change that," Ray said.  
  
"Hand over the Gundams and their pilots, Ray, Lance, Cat, Matt, Taro, and Quro," came Commander Chang's voice over the communications system.  
  
"No fucking way!" Lance yelled through the communications system. "You trained us, you used us, and now we're back. You will not get out of this one alive."  
  
"Oh, and I'm supposed to be scared? Mobile Dolls, attack!"  
  
The new troops of Mobile Dolls flew at the soldiers. The pilots battled fiercely, but to no avail. Every time one Mobile Doll would get destroyed, three more would take their place.  
  
"Use the Firebird program!" Lance yelled.  
  
"The what?" Matt asked.  
  
"It's a program I installed when I built the Gundams. Remember the ZERO system that Heero Yuy used? This program is similar; it's harder to master but a lot more effective. One catch though; it's designed for Ray and I only, but we'll have to risk it. There is a button on the top left corner of the radar screen. Press it," Lance instructed without taking his mind off of his battle. "I didn't include it in the suit description because I didn't want OZ to find it."  
  
Each of the pilots pressed the button. Instantly, each was more aware of their surroundings. The Gundams entire main screens went red. Their reaction times increased drastically, and their blows became more deadly. They lost all emotion. They had soon destroyed more than half of the suits. Lance, Ray, and the others turned on Chang, leaving the rest of the soldiers to finish the Dolls.  
  
"Who wants him?" Cat asked, voice flat.  
  
"Me," Ray said his voice full of hate. "You took my talent to its extremes and further. You used me. Remind me to thank you one day," he said, voice flat and emotionless. "And now you will die."  
  
"No, I won't. You cannot defeat me. You built this suit," Chang said, then his face paled. "You know its weaknesses."  
  
"More than you do," Ray said, shoving his beam scythe into the suit's right leg. He pulled it out, and struck again. This time, he sliced it cleanly in half. The explosion rocked his Gundam, causing Ray to fly forward, elbow hitting the left of the radar screen. The Firebird program instantly turned off. Ray regained his emotions.  
  
"What did I do?" he whispered. The other pilots turned off their own programs.  
  
"You killed Chang," Matt replied.  
  
"No, he didn't. The program did," Cat argued.  
  
"That's what I programmed it to do. To take all emotion except hate out of the battle. To feel no mercy or pain," Lance said. "And it worked."  
  
"A little too well," Cat added.  
  
"Come on, the battle is over. Let's go back. OZ won't bother us anytime soon," Lanoll said. All the suits turned back toward the colony. Tiger's Eye turned around to look at the Earth just before she went in. The next day, each of the pilots took their DNA tests.  
  
Chapter XI  
  
Consequences  
  
"Ahhhhh!" Matt woke up screaming.  
  
"Matt, calm down!" Cat was yelling. She and the twins had run in the room when they heard Matt screaming.  
  
"Lance, are nightmares a side-effect of that program?" Matt asked, trying to quell the shaking in his body.  
  
"I don't really know. It hasn't been used before this battle," Lance answered. It was three days after the last battle. Each of the pilots had woken up at least once with nightmares, all unable to remember what the nightmare was about.  
  
"What?! Never, ever, use a program in a Mobile Suit, Doll, or Gundam without first testing it out! You never know what could happen," Matt replied. He thankfully accepted the cup of water that Ray brought him. All but his left hand had stopped shaking.  
  
"What were you dreaming about?" Cat asked.  
  
"I don't know. It was really fuzzy," he closed his eyes in concentration. "There were OZ soldiers. And blood."  
  
"And a woman lying on the floor in front of you, dead," Cat finished for him. Matt looked up at her, surprised. "That program of yours opened up a part of my mind that I didn't know I had."  
  
"I know. I'm the same way. I see things, and then they happen," Lance said, and Ray nodded.  
  
"Ditto. Only I see the past, not the future. But there's a part of my past that's blocked off," Ray said. "But I can also do something else. Watch," he instructed, holding his hand out toward the empty water glass sitting on a table beside the bed. Energy seemed to crackle around the boy's hand, then the cup lifted about a foot off of the table. He made a quick movement with his hand and it fell to the floor with a small clank.  
  
"I can tell what people are thinking or feeling," Matt said, holding his left hand in his right one.  
  
"Empathic and telepathic. Those are the only two I know."  
  
"My God! It's three in the morning! What's going on?" Lanoll asked from the doorway.  
  
"That's what we'd like to know," Ray said. "Matt woke up, screaming. Another nightmare."  
  
"Another? What is that supposed mean?" the black-haired man asked.  
  
"We've each had at least one nightmare since the last battle," Matt explained. "And it's showing. Every time someone taps me, drops something, or makes a loud noise, I jump." The rest of the pilots nodded.  
  
"Would this have anything to do with that program?" Lanoll asked.  
  
"It might. It hasn't been tested yet," Lance replied. Lanoll looked shocked for a moment, then quickly recovered. He grinned.  
  
"That doesn't surprise me. Your DNA tests came back."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Cat asked.  
  
"Ray and Lance act just like their father. They are the sons of the Gundam pilot, Duo Maxwell, pilot of Deathscythe Hell," Lanoll let the news sink in. Ray and Lance looked dumbstruck. "Matt, you're descended from Quatre Raberba Winner, pilot of Sandrock Kai."  
  
"I thought so," Matt replied. This time, it was Lanoll's turn looked shocked.  
  
"Cat, you're related to Heero Yuy, pilot of Wing Zero, his daughter to be exact," he said. Cat looked shocked, smiled, then frowned.  
  
"But there's two pilots left. What about Wufei Chang and Trowa Barton?" she asked, careful to put Wufei's family name first.  
  
"I don't know about Trowa Barton, but I'm related to Wufei Chang," Lanoll replied.  
  
"I knew you looked familiar!" Lance exclaimed. "Those tests also gave our real names, didn't they?"  
  
"Yes, but that's not what I was looking for. I was looking to see who your ancestors were."  
  
"What about Trowa?" Matt asked.  
  
"I don't know. Nothing showed up on the records about Trowa. Maybe his descendants are still out there."  
  
"I'm willing to bet that it was either Quro or Taro," Lance said. "If we had a picture, we could see if either of them, or both of them, were related to Trowa."  
  
"That's all fine and dandy, but can we find that out in the morning?" Cat asked, stretching and yawning.  
  
"Fine by me," Lanoll said, exiting the room. The others returned to their rooms. Ray returned to his bunk last, a single crystal tear rolling down his cheek. He lay down on his stomach, face buried in his pillow.  
  
"It's okay, Ray. You had no control over that program. It's just as much my fault as yours," Lance said.  
  
"I know. Damn!" he slammed his hands down on his pillow, shaking the entire bunk because he was on top. "I could have mastered that program!"  
  
"No. Heero Yuy couldn't even master the ZERO system completely. This program is much more advanced. Don't blame yourself. He deserved it," Lance reassured his brother.  
  
"Yes, he did," came Matt's voice from the doorway.  
  
"I agree," Cat was just behind him. "We're not gonna get any sleep at all tonight, are we?"  
  
"Nope," Lance, Ray, and Matt said.  
  
"I figured," she said, and sat down on the foot of Lance's bed. "Want to talk about what's going on?"  
  
"I think you already know. I killed Commander Chang. If OZ ever does recapture us, not only are they going to charge us with deserting and treason, but for assassination as well," Ray said.  
  
"But you've said it yourself. They can't get what they can't catch," Cat replied.  
  
"But we're a threat to this colony! Just by being here, we're putting millions of innocent lives in danger!" Ray exclaimed.  
  
"Freedom doesn't come cheap, bro," Lance replied. "Something has to be paid."  
  
"But not the colony."  
  
"They don't care. Wouldn't you rather be dead than go back under OZ's dictatorship?" Matt asked. He walked over to a laptop that was sitting on the desk in one corner of the room. Booting it up, he proceeded to type.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Ray from the top bunk.  
  
"Hacking OZ's main database," he said. "Maybe we can find something."  
  
"Oh. Here, let me help," Ray said, climbing down from the top bunk. They all crowded around Matt and watched as he skirted all of the security systems. "Bingo." Text scrolled across the screen. "This is a broadcast about six kids that were stolen," he blanched, "eighteen years ago."  
  
"This could be about us," Lance whispered. Matt stopped the text, and scrolled down slow enough to read.  
  
"'Today, August 15, A.C. 245, OZ soldiers searched many homes in Colony 12, searching for the Gundam pilots that were rumored to be living there. Upon searching several homes, OZ's commander Chang found the pilot's homes, along with six small children, five boys and one girl. The pilots were killed on sight, but OZ took the children in to raise them as OZ soldiers,'" Ray read out loud.  
  
"Huh. They didn't want to kill children because they knew that they could be a valuable weapon if the Gundams reappeared," Cat said. "They should have killed us when they had the chance."  
  
"I agree. But then we wouldn't be here today to fight," Ray said.  
  
"Exactly. If they had killed us when they had the chance, they wouldn't have any real opposition," Cat replied.  
  
"You've got a point there," Matt said. He shut down the computer. "I copied some of their files onto this computer. OZ won't even notice."  
  
"Good. The last thing we need is for OZ to know that we've been snooping around on their computers," Lance said. "Now, since it's obvious we're not going to get any sleep tonight, I suggest we start building some Mobile Dolls for the colony."  
  
"I've got my sketch pad that I designed OZ's new Dolls in. I can make a few adjustments, and we've got something to build," Ray said.  
  
"Good. As soon as you finish that, I'll start building," Lance said.  
  
"I'll start working now," Ray replied, grabbing his old sketchpad and his new one to redesign the Dolls for the colony. Opening to a fresh pad, he grabbed a pencil and started drawing.  
  
"Do you think you could increase the reaction time of the Dolls?" Cat asked.  
  
"Sure. Make them a little more aerodynamic, too," Lance replied.  
  
"Those Dolls I built for OZ have defects. Lots of them," Ray said.  
  
"Like what?" Matt inquired.  
  
"Their reaction times are, by today's standards, null. This weapons will explode if the battle too long, and you can't stop them from the OZ base," Ray replied without looking up from the page.  
  
"I noticed that. I didn't do anything about it, though," Lance said. Cat was watching Ray draw the design.  
  
"You know a bit about Mobile Suits, don't you?" Ray asked her, breaking the silence.  
  
"When you live around them all your life, you can't help but learn a few things," Cat replied. "I'm going to go get my notebook," she said, walking out the door.  
  
"She's weird," Lance commented.  
  
"I know. You get used to it," Matt replied.  
  
"Done," Ray said, handing the design to his brother. "Give it to Lanoll it the morning."  
  
"Will do," Lance replied, looking over the design. "I'm not putting Firebird in them. It's not designed for Dolls."  
  
"Good. We don't want to take any chances with OZ," Cat said, walking into the room. She was carrying a chessboard and her notebook.  
  
"What's the board for?" Ray asked.  
  
"To keep track of OZ's attacks and our retaliation," she said, setting the board out on the desk by the computer.  
  
"Oh, I get it. OZ is black, and the colony is white," Lance said. "Watch." He set up the board, then took six white pawns and moved four of the up two spaces. "We're the pawns. We're expendable," he said, placing the other two on the side of the board.  
  
"OZ," Ray said, taking a black knight, "did this." He moved it up so that it was diagonally from a white pawn. "And I took it." He then moved a pawn up one space.  
  
"It doesn't work like a regular chess game," Matt observed.  
  
"I know. None of us follow the rules," Cat added.  
  
"What rules? In war, there are no rules," Ray said, voice flat.  
  
Chapter XII Just Pawns  
  
The next day, Lance and a few of the colony's top technicians started working on the Mobile Dolls.  
  
Lanoll approved the design and building of the suits. Matt, Ray, and Cat helped as often as they could. Each had proven themselves as pretty good engineers. They all seemed pretty lost in thought. By the end of the day, they had about ten Dolls finished and ten more in the process of being built.  
  
"Pawns. We're just pawns, " Cat muttered under her breath.  
  
"What?" asked the engineer she was working with.  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking out loud," she replied.  
  
"I knew the Gundams would come back one day, but I didn't think I'd live to see it," the engineer said, taking off his cap to wipe his head, revealing thinning gray hair. "I'm Logan Estes," the man said, sticking out his hand.  
  
"Cat," she replied, shaking his hand. "I never thought I'd be one of the pilots. I knew they would come back, too."  
  
"What's OZ like?" the man asked.  
  
"Total control. They have total control down on Earth. And they want more power, which means that they'll have to take over the colonies," Cat replied. "Mr. Estes..."  
  
"Please, call me Logan."  
  
"Okay, Logan. What do you know about the original Gundam pilots?"  
  
"There were five in all, Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Quatre Winner, and Duo Maxwell," he said. "They all fought for the colonies, but then OZ persuaded the colonies to join them, leaving nowhere for the pilots to go. OZ used the colonies as pawns, but they quickly realized how important the colonies and Gundams were right after OZ tried to destroy the earth by sending the battle ship Libra crashing to earth. But Heero Yuy blew it up before it could collide," he said.  
  
"Thanks, Logan. That helped a lot. I grew up in an OZ base, and I never really learned anything about the original Gundam pilots," Cat said.  
  
"Anything else?" Logan asked.  
  
"No, not right now," she declined. "See ya."  
  
"So, you learned a little about the Gundams, huh?" Ray asked, walking up beside her.  
  
"Yep," she said, lost in thought. "That's it!" she exclaimed, and took off running.  
  
"What was that about?" Lance asked, walking up beside his twin while wiping his hands on a rag.  
  
"Beats me. I'm betting we'll find out later."  
  
"Let's go get something to eat," Matt commented, walking up. "I'm starved. Where's Cat?"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down!" Ray said, holding his hands up. "Cat ran up to her room about three minutes ago. Yes, we can go eat."  
  
"Cool," Matt replied. "Cat will catch up with us later. She misses meals sometimes, especially when she runs off like you said she did."  
  
"Fine. Let's go," Lance said, and they walked out of the hanger and down a few blocks. They found Mexican restaurant, ordered, and waited.  
  
"What are we going to do the next time OZ attacks?" Ray asked.  
  
"Counter-attack. That's a dumb question," Lance replied.  
  
"No. Hear me out. They're gonna attack harder this time, and with more suits. They wiped out nearly half of the colony's soldiers last time. They are capable of wiping out the colony's entire fleet, not to mention the colony itself," Ray said.  
  
"Good point. What are you suggesting we do?" Matt asked.  
  
"Leave the colonies out of it," Ray said. "We need to talk to Lanoll."  
  
"The colonies are willing to fight," the waiter said. "I'm a pilot myself."  
  
"You are willing to risk your life for a battle you can't possibly win?" Ray asked a little too loudly.  
  
Some of the patrons turned around to look at the group.  
  
"Ray, calm down," Lance said. "You've got people staring at us."  
  
"Okay, okay. But you're willing to risk your life?"  
  
"Yes. I'm not afraid of death. Soldiers shouldn't be. Excuse me, I've got to get back to work," the waiter said, and walked away. Another waiter brought them their food. Finishing the meal in silence, they paid and walked out.  
  
"Where to?" Matt asked.  
  
"I don't know. You pick," Ray said.  
  
"Hanger. I want to see what we have left on the Mobile Dolls," Lance said, sounding preoccupied.  
  
"What's wrong?" Ray whispered to his twin as they were walking down the street. Lance hesitated for a second, and then answered.  
  
"Bad feeling."  
  
"I noticed," Matt said from behind them. "We're going to be attacked again, aren't we?" he asked, jogging to catch up with them. They sat down on a bench under a nearby tree. Lance leaned his head back, watching the light play through the leaves on the tree.  
  
"Yeah. It's not going to be good. OZ will attack tomorrow. This colony is going to be blown up," he said. "We can stop it though."  
  
"What? No freaking way are they going to get this colony!" Matt exclaimed. "Not gonna happen. Not while we're around."  
  
"How can we stop it?" Ray asked, concern showing through his voice.  
  
"I don't know. To OZ, the colonies just pawns in a game of war."  
  
"We know that all too well," said Cat's voice over the intercom. "Listen, there's a way we can stop them. I located a person that was related to a man named Howard, who worked with Duo Maxwell, and he's agreed to help us."  
  
"How is that supposed to help us stop OZ from blowing up the colony?" Matt asked.  
  
"He's a genius of a mechanic, and he agreed to give us some tools. He didn't say exactly what, though."  
  
"Fine. Anything to keep the colony from blowing up," Ray said. He stood up. "Let's head back to our quarters to figure out how were supposed to counter this one."  
  
"Pawns aren't as expendable as most people think," Cat warned. The group walked back to their quarters. Cat opened her door for the group and they sat down. Lance sat on the bed, and Ray grabbed a chair from the table, turned it backwards, and sat in it. Matt sat on the floor next to the door, and Cat perched on the desk after shoving some papers onto the other side. Matt suddenly got up and left. Reappearing a moment later, he was holding the chessboard. He sat it down in the middle of the floor, and then took his position by the door.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Ray asked, breaking the silence.  
  
"Stop OZ," Matt said.  
  
"Easier said them done, Matt. How?" Cat asked. She jumped off of the desk and walked to the chessboard. Sitting down on the floor beside it, she waited.  
  
"Okay, we've taken an OZ commander, or a knight in this case. The colony is the white king, and the OZ main base is the black king," Lance said. "So now all we have to do is figure out check mate."  
  
"Very good, Lance. Cat take that black pawn, second from the end," Cat pointed to the pawn.  
  
"Yeah that one. Move it up one space," Matt said. Cat moved the black pawn so that it was within striking distance of two white pawns. "That's what we have to do. All we have to do now is wait for OZ to make that move."  
  
"And for that, we have to wait until tomorrow," Ray said. "Get a good night's sleep. We're gonna need it for the battle."  
  
"I'll never be able to sleep tonight," Matt said.  
  
"Yes, you will. Think about it. We've got the upper hand. Better Dolls, Gundams, not to mention the entire colony behind us," Cat pointed out.  
  
  
  
Chapter XIII  
  
Good-bye  
  
The next day, about noon, the alarm sounded again. The pilot's doors slammed open at once. Ray ran over to Cat's quarters. To his surprise she was already up and loading her pistol. All around them soldiers were running to the main deck.  
  
"To the main hanger," Cat said before Ray could ask where to go. He ran quickly down to the main deck and the hangers.  
  
"Cat!" called Ray. She stopped and turned to face him. He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Try to stay calm whatever you see me do, okay? Please?" She looked at him and thought for a second, then nodded. He turned back and launched himself upward toward his Gundam. He opened the hatch and powered up his controls, he powered up the Firebird program and his Gundam's entire interior became fire orange. Cat followed his example and the hanger began to shake. Lanoll's face suddenly appeared on his screen.  
  
"Ray, the Dolls haven't been tested yet," Ray could tell by his voice that he was nervous.  
  
"You won't like this but there's no time like the present," he heard Lanoll's voice crack and shut off the com link before he could argue. Ray sighed. They all transformed the new Kai suits into Neo-bird mode and took off. He grabbed a pair of data sunglasses from the dash and put them on. Data shades are used during points of extreme heat or light normally but Lance had done some improving on these. Whenever the wearer activated the glasses the status of his/her Gundam, the Firebird program, video links, and other abilities of the Gundams are usable on lenses.  
  
Lance's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Ray snap to it." Ray shook himself out of his thoughts and looked outside his Gundam. A huge fleet of Mobile Dolls that resembled the old Virgo mobile suits had assembled. The new Dolls Ray designed were being smashed left and right.  
  
"Call the dolls Back NOW!" he screamed over the com. Lanoll replied quickly.  
  
"What for? I thought you said they could handle it."  
  
"I WAS WRONG!!" he screamed before slicing through one of his own dolls. Lanoll quickly replied by calling back the troops. "Call back the mobile suits too only Gundams stand a chance." Lanoll did this too. He sighed. "Now the real battle begins," Ray thought.  
  
"Ray!" it was Cat's voice. "These dolls look like the old Virgo models," she said. He looked at them for a while then responded.  
  
"You're right, Cat. Do a check on them, find all weak points, and check the programs," he said. All they could do was stall, the check took precious time, and time they didn't have. If anyone tried to do anything but defend, they could all be destroyed. Five power-hungry Gundams against dozens of Dolls. Only Heero Yuy and his daughter could like stakes like these. Gundams Inferno Kai, Firebolt Kai, Tiger's Eye Kai, Kai Cyclone Wing, and Bloodlust Kai were all that stood between OZ and total domination. Then he noticed something; they were too near three space colonies. If they had to self-destruct their bodies would be blown into them. They had to take that risk.  
  
"Okay got it," came Cat's voice, "they're modified versions of the Virgo suits. Only. five of 'em aren't dolls they're Gundams!" At that moment the entire fleet of dolls pulled back. Only five Gundams and five mobile suits remained. Ray attacked first, bringing his scythe down fast and hard. The suit quickly activated a magnetic shield, and the blade couldn't do damage. Next, Cat used her Tiger claws to send a powerful beam at her opponent, but the suit quickly moved away. Matt's turn, he powered his Gundam's buster rifles and fired.  
  
" NO!!!" Ray yelled. "No full power attacks."  
  
Then they saw why. The suit's shield absorbed the beam then activated a beam sword lunged towards Matt's Gundam and sent the beam through the middle. Matt's Gundam stood still for a few seconds before the mobile suit created a beam so huge it engulfed the entire Gundam in energy. It became dust and a microscope could only see the only pieces of Matt left. Ray pulled his Gundam's buster rifle and destroyed the remains of Cyclone.  
  
"No. not. again. no. more. death," Cat whispered. "NO!" she yelled.  
  
"Remember your promise Cat," Ray mouthed to her only.  
  
"DON'T you say my name!" she exclaimed." You. you."  
  
"You know what we have to do to win this battle, don't you, Cat?" he interrupted.  
  
"The only way to win is.is. self-destruction," Cat admitted sadly over the comlink. Ray nodded, but Lance replied harshly.  
  
"You're INSANE!" he yelled.  
  
"Can ya blame her bro?" Ray asked  
  
"Alright, fine then. I AM INSANE! DEAL WITH IT! Lead, follow, or GET OUT OF MY WAY!" she yelled back. Ray, Cat, Lance, and Lanoll picked up the detonators.  
  
"On my count," Ray said, " Three. Two. One. NOW!" he screamed. They hit they're detonators right after opening the escape hatches. They were propelled towards the colonies. The main gates of the colonies were open so they could get in. if they survived. Armed with only the new beam weapons Lanoll had made for them, (Ray a Beam scythe, Cat twin heat beam scythes, Lance a beam sword, and Lanoll a beam trident) and there data glasses. Ray was blasted into colony 19. He flew into the colony and closed the entry gate. He removed his mask and looked into space. He saw Lanoll flying towards this colony... he missed the gate. As he hit the side his mask shattered. His face was sucked into his skull and the rest of his body imploded from the vacuum of space. Lanoll, his newest comrade in arms was dead.  
  
"Good-bye, old friends," Ray said to the Gundams and Lanoll.  
  
*AUTHOR'S NOTES*  
  
Hello everybody! This is Dragon's Fire Kai or DFK for short. I'm revising this story and adding some to Part One until next week when Phoenix Tears will take over again. This story is being thought out a lot (especially during math class) so if there's NE thing you don't understand just stick with the story and I'll try to clear it up later. My friend and I have been writing this for months now and I think it'll come to an end soon. Well gotta get back to typing now so C-ya! Send comments, suggestions, questions, and flares (not that I'll listen to them) to either dragons_fire_kai@yahoo.com or ruby05_88@yahoo.com.  
  
Hey! This is Phoenix Tears. I'm trying to clear a few things up right now, but if I miss anything, just drop one of us a line. Constructive criticism is also welcome. I've got other stories that I'm working on solo if you ask I'll send them to ya. Thanks for sticking with us. DFK's not lying when he says this stories been through a lot. My part was mainly in my extremely boring English class. I'm sure you know how that goes. L8er! 


	2. Part 2

Part Two  
  
The Avenging Angels  
  
"In war there are no ends, only eternal beginnings"  
  
Chapter I  
  
Hostility in the Hospital  
  
Right after he said farewell to his Gundam and his friends, he fell to the ground.  
  
*****  
  
Cat was blown to a colony opposite of 19. She barely made the entrance to the hatch. She had not sustained as many injuries as Ray or Lance had, but she was still pretty beaten up. However, she did move quickly and agilely for a person with two broken ribs, a broken arm, and a broken leg, of course she was also Heero Yuy's daughter. She removed her mask and data glasses and sighed. The she peered into space. Cat looked hard and long into the other colonies and saw Ray lying on the floor in Colony 19.  
  
"At least he survived," she said with relief and a hint of anger. She then collapsed onto the ground and fell to sleep.  
  
*****  
  
Lance, too, had stayed alive after the explosion. He checked each other colony and saw his friends. And he too fell unconscious after a few minutes, not to awaken again.  
  
*****  
  
Ray awoke. He struggled to stand but quickly realized he was strapped to a medical table. He looked around for a few moments then saw the mirror on the opposite wall. 'Ha they still use double-sided mirrors,' he thought to himself. His scythe was unextended and at his side. The weapon had two buttons, one green and one blue. Normally it's a silver cylinder, a little bigger than a person's hand with one blue button, but when you press the button it extends to about Ray's height. Then a green button appears. When it is pressed a beam scythe will erupt from near the top.  
  
He slanted his hand and grabbed the weapon. He slid his finger over the blue button and it extended. Then, he ignited the beam and snapped the shackles. He then sliced the mirror in two. He saw a ship to the right of where he had been brought in.  
  
"Yes, a way out," he thought to himself. "Next I'll pick up Cat and we can get back to Earth and regroup. I just hope, if he's alive, Lance can find us," He opened the shuttle and cleared the port. Very soon after he'd left Colony 19 he arrived at the colony Cat was on. She was laying on the floor near the main hatch. Ray quickly ran to her side and slapped her face. Her hand blocked his and her other one slammed him in the stomach. He sprawled back, the wind knocked out of him. She climbed to her feet and helped him up.  
  
"Sorry, reflex," she said quietly.  
  
"Sure," he responded breathlessly. They walked back over to the shuttle and Cat took over the controls. It was a long trip to earth, and they had plenty of time.  
  
Chapter II Tokens Of Faith  
  
With Cat at the pod's controls it left nothing for Ray to do for the long 29-hour journey back to Earth Sector 4. He periodically extended his scythe and polished the main shaft. No one talked much during the flight, and Ray felt as though Cat was angry for what he had done to Matt's Gundam. Finally, after what had seemed eons, Cat spoke.  
  
"He was already dead you know," she said.  
  
"Who? Matt?" he responded.  
  
"Whom ELSE have you vaporized today," she spat.  
  
"I did what I thought necessary."  
  
"What made you think he had to be space dust?"  
  
"If his Gundam hadn't been totally destroyed they would have repaired it and used it against us. Besides, you saw his vitals drop. You know he was dead on impact."  
  
"Well, I guess you're right," she replied dubiously.  
  
"Was there ever a doubt?" he asked sarcastically. She quickly lifted her arm and slammed him in the ribs.  
  
"Ugghmmph," he grunted in pain. "How 'bout a truce. at least 'till we get to earth?"  
  
"Sure," she said after giving it some thought.  
  
*****  
  
Almost immediately after Ray fell asleep, Cat pushed him awake.  
  
"Wha?" Ray asked sleepily although it sounded more like "whavu".  
  
"We're here," Cat said pointing to the digital map on screen.  
  
"Where's here?" he asked, waking up fully.  
  
"The New World Republic, or what used to be Hawai'i."  
  
"Why are we landing here?"  
  
"Well one reason is the sensors are indicating a large deposit of Gundanium and the second is we're almost out of fuel."  
  
"Well, okay." Cat's landing was so smooth that Ray hardly felt it. They grabbed their weapons and clipped them to their belts before they jumped out. They looked around and realized they were in the middle of nowhere.  
  
"Where did you get the Gundanium traces from?" Ray asked. Cat grabbed a pair of data glasses and started to look for the traces. She quickly found the source and took off the glasses.  
  
"That way," she said pointing to a large volcano. They set out on foot for the volcano. It looked more than a mile away but almost as quickly as they had started they had arrived.  
  
"Well," Ray sighed, looking up the tall rock wall in front of them, "what now?"  
  
"It's inside the volcano," Cat replied confidently. She began to climb up to a ledge overlooking the entire island. Ray followed. They arrived at the top after only moments.  
  
"Looks like you need a key of some sort," Ray said, pointing to a circular hole. He studied it for a few minutes. "Wait a minute," Ray exclaimed, extending his scythe. He inserted the top of the weapon into the hole, ignited it, and twisted. The entire volcano began to break in two just after Ray removed his scythe.  
  
"Whoa," said Ray and Cat together. An ominous black Gundam loomed over them.  
  
"It's a Deathscythe!" Ray exclaimed. "That was my father's Gundam!"  
  
"Well let's take a look," Cat said, leading the way.  
  
"Wait, you forgot your shoes!" Ray called after her.  
  
"I hate shoes, leave 'em," she replied. They climbed up into the Gundam's cockpit and Ray sat down in it.  
  
"Hey there's a message on the screen," he said softly. He accessed the message and the face of Duo Maxwell appeared on the screen. His face looked sad, as though he knew he was about to die. The former Gundam pilot took a deep breath and prepared to give his message.  
  
The message of the warrior Duo Maxwell.  
  
"My son, Ray," he began. "I have left this message for you and your brother so you will know my story and why you were abandoned. If my sources are correct you are in the company of Katazyna Yuy, the daughter of my old friend Heero Yuy. Do not worry about your brother Lance; he will be fine where he is going. You two must only worry about completing your mission. This Gundam was built and designed solely for you. An old friend of mine named Howard created it. I have sent this message through the internal memory banks of this Gundam, Kai Deathscythe Hell. There are two hidden Gundams left; a variation of Wing ZERO for Katazyna and a variation of Gundam Epyon for the descendant of Zechs Marquiese, if he is still alive. Now the ZERO version of the Gundam is hidden in the depths of the Red Sea. Good luck my s."  
  
End Transmission  
  
Stunned silence followed the message.  
  
"Ray?" Cat asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at her touch.  
  
"I'm fine, Cat," he said, thankful that his words masked his feelings. "Let's head back to camp." He walked the Gundam from inside the volcano, turning toward the place where Cat had landed the shuttle. Silence fell over the pair again.  
  
"So, my Gundam's in the Red Sea. How're we going to get it?" Cat asked.  
  
"There should be an OZ base nearby. We take out a couple of guards, then steal another shuttle," Ray replied distantly.  
  
"Where is the nearest OZ base?"  
  
"Beats me. When we get back to the shuttle, I'll drop you off, and then I'll go scouting in Deathscythe. I want you to use the shuttle's computers to scan the area. Contact me if you find anything," Ray said flatly. Cat opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it.  
  
"Okay. Take as long as you want," she said. She climbed down Deathscythe's leg. She waved at Ray, and then turned to go into the shuttle. Ray turned the Gundam around and fired the jets.  
  
Flying low over the ground, he scouted for a base. His communicator beeped and Cat's face appeared.  
  
"Found one. I'm assuming that you're the little blinking yellow dot on the radar screen. Go south south east for about three kilometers, and you'll find it I'll meet you there. Hide your Gundam in the nearby woods."  
  
"Great. How are you going to get there?" Ray asked. Cat grinned slyly. "I don't like that smile."  
  
"Get used to it." The screen went blank. Ray sighed and turned his Gundam toward the coordinates Cat had uploaded to his Gundam. He landed in the woods outside the compound and waited. His radio buzzed.  
  
"Ray? Are you there?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I'm about five minutes away from your position. I'm following the radar right now. Use your cloaking device. It should be on there somewhere. Don't worry about me finding it. I'll find you," Cat said.  
  
"How are you getting here?" Ray asked. "You're not in the shuttle, are you?"  
  
"Heck, no. You think I'm crazy?!" she exclaimed. I'll be there in three minutes. You'll know when I get there." The radio gave a quick burst of static, then cut off. Ray shook his head.  
  
"That girl is insane," he said, opening the hatch. He grabbed his pair of binoculars and turned them toward the base. He let his mind wander while keeping watch on the base. He supposed they hadn't picked up his Gundam, otherwise he would have had a fleet of Mobile Dolls on his tail with in minutes.  
  
He was shocked out of his thought a few minutes later by an explosion. He scrambled into the cockpit of his Gundam and fired it up. His radio buzzed.  
  
"Ray? The entire base knows I'm here now," Cat said.  
  
"What the hell did you do?!" he yelled back.  
  
"I set off a few bombs in the base. They exploded a few seconds earlier than I had planned, but I'm fine, other then a major headache."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"The south side of the base, in the hanger. I found a transport shuttle. You coming or not?"  
  
"I can't come in Deathscythe. They'll know for a fact that the Gundams are back then. Can you do a fly-by and pick me up?"  
  
"Sure. Give me a few minutes. I've got a few OZ guards on my tail right now. 'Bye." She clipped the radio to her belt, but didn't turn it off. Ray heard a few laser shots and some shouting, then a few regular gunshots.  
  
"Closing in on your position. Be ready to board in 5...4...3...2...1!" Ray fired his jets and shot out of the trees. He landed neatly in the shuttle. After securing the Gundam, he joined Cat in the cockpit.  
  
"Nice of you to join me," Cat said as he sat in the co-pilot's seat.  
  
"It's nice to see you too," he replied. "Where did you get those bombs?"  
  
"They were something I rigged up from the shuttle parts," she said modestly. "I practically tore up the steering system trying to find the parts I needed."  
  
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that. I'm going to sleep," he said. Cat shrugged.  
  
"Fine with me. Next stop, Egypt," Cat said.  
  
Chapter III ZERO Reborn  
  
"Ray! Wake up," Cat said. Ray grumbled and opened his eyes. "I stole a couple of OZ uniforms from the soldiers I knocked out. I didn't really kill anyone."  
  
"What for?" Ray asked, stretching.  
  
"We're going to land at an OZ base, and we need to look like soldiers. Go get dressed. You'll find them in the closet to your right of the cockpit door. I think it's about you size," Cat said. Ray sighed and got up. He found the uniform and pulled it on. It was a little short, but it would do. He walked back into the cockpit.  
  
"The pants are a bit short," Ray said.  
  
"You can deal with it. You'll only be in it for a few hours." She got up and left as Ray took over the controls. He checked the radar to see where they were. They were over the Red Sea. The communicator beeped, and an OZ soldier appeared.  
  
"Shuttle, you are authorized to land."  
  
"Roger, base. ETA three minutes," Ray replied and the screen went blank. Cat reappeared, smoothing out her shirt. She sat in Ray's seat.  
  
"We're cleared for landing in three minutes," Ray said. Cat nodded as Ray looked over at her. She had on makeup and was braiding her hair.  
  
"Why are you putting on makeup?" Ray asked.  
  
"I needed a disguise. As an OZ bodyguard, I visited a lot of bases. I don't want to take the chance of somebody recognizing me. This was the best one I could come up with in three minutes," she said. Ray sighed and shook his head. He turned his attention back to the controls as he prepared for the landing. He set down smoothly and coasted to a stop. He and Cat got out to face the same OZ officer that Ray talked to on the communicator. The officer saluted as Ray and Cat passed.  
  
"I'll show you to your quarters," the officer said. Ray looked at Cat, confused. She smiled.  
  
"Lead on," Cat said in clipped tones. The officer nodded and started off. Ray and Cat followed him. Ray was still wondering what the heck was going on. The officer showed them to two separate room, eerily similar to the ones the ones the had had at the OZ base that they had escaped from. Ray walked into Cat's room. She was typing away at a computer.  
  
"Did you arrange all this?" Ray asked, motioning around the room. "And why?" She motioned for him to come over to her.  
  
"I did. Tomorrow we're going to take and underwater Mobile Suit and get ZERO," Cat said.  
  
"Okay. I would take you in Deathscythe, but it can't go underwater. I don't know why Howard built it that way, but it can't," Ray said. He sat on the desk beside the computer. What are you doing?"  
  
"Searching for information on Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell," she replied distantly.  
  
"Did you..."  
  
"Yes, I firewalled this computer from OZ's main network," she interrupted. "I've also ordered a Pisces II to be ready for takeoff at 0900."  
  
"So we're going to take it after you use it?' Ray asked. Cat just shrugged. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before let out a shriek of frustration.  
  
"I give up!" she exclaimed. She clicked a few more keys before shutting the laptop. "Nothing."  
  
"Well, according to OZ, the original Gundam pilots didn't even exist. Look through Colony 12's files when we get back," Ray suggested. Cat stood and stretched, then nodded.  
  
"You're right. I'm going to go to sleep." Ray nodded and got up.  
  
"Good night," he said.  
  
"Night," Cat yawned. Ray left. He walked into his room and sat on the bed.  
  
"This has got to be the craziest thing I've ever done," he muttered to himself. He covered his face with his hands and sighed. He fell backwards onto ht bed and laid there, deep in thought. He thought about his brother, Lance, and his other fallen comrades. But, most of all, he thought about his father. It had taken him and his brother eighteen years to find their father. And when he finally does find his father, Lance isn't there.  
  
Before he knew it, it was morning. He drug himself out of bed to wash his face. He caught a glimpse of himself as he was drying his face. He looked like he had aged overnight. He just put the towel down and walked back into the main room. He let Cat in, since she had been banging on the door for the past five minutes.  
  
"About time," she said as she walked in.  
  
"If that's the kind of mood you're in, I should have let you stay out there," he replied tiredly. "What's up?"  
  
"We've got about thirty minutes before we have to leave. Now, you're going to go back to the shuttle and take off while I go out in the Pisces," she said.  
  
"I'll land the shuttle on the Saudi Arabian coast so you'll know where I am. Just get ZERO and get out of there. We're not taking the Pisces with us; it'll just slow us down. Let's go," Ray said. "I've got to take off before you do, otherwise it'll look suspicious."  
  
"Okay. See you in Saudi Arabia," Cat replied, and retreated back to her room. Ray left and headed toward the shuttle. He got clearance and lifted off after making sure that Deathscythe was secure and hadn't been tampered with. He picked up his radio.  
  
"Cat, I've lifted off. I want to leave within fifteen minutes, find ZERO, and get out of there," he said.  
  
"Roger. I'm getting a bad feeling about this, so I'm leaving now," she replied. "See ya there." She turned off the radio.  
  
"Come on, Cat. Hurry up," he muttered as he veered towards his target.  
  
*****  
  
Cat walked down the hallway towards the Mobile Suit hanger. She found the Pisces ready for launch. She made sure that no one was around before she launched the suit. Putting on her data glasses, she dove to the door that would let her out into the Red Sea. She set the data glasses to search for any traces of Gundanium. They locked onto a location, and she headed that direction.  
  
"Cat? Are you there?" she was started out of her thought by Ray's call over the radio.  
  
"I'm here. I found where the Gundanium is, and I'm heading North-north- east. It's about two hundred kilometers in that direction. I'll be there at my current speed in about... an hour," Cat replied.  
  
"Okay. I'm flying over the Red Sea, following you. When you find ZERO, I'm going to dock at the OZ base on the other coast, near a town called Duba, so that I can refuel. I want you to come in and attack the base, but after I've taken off. I'll pick you up by fly-by. After that, we go back to Colony 12, if it's still there," Ray said.  
  
"It's still there," Cat said. "Trust me."  
  
"Alright. How far from ZERO are you?"  
  
"Give me another thirty minutes. You might want to go ahead and land and refuel. This might not take as long as I had planned," Cat replied, checking her location. "They've made a major improvement as far as speed in this suit. I didn't realize how fast it was going. I'll need fifteen minutes. Good luck."  
  
"Same to you," Ray replied, and signed off. Cat returned to her search. She found a spot relatively close to where the ZERO was and surfaced the Pisces II there. After she found some scuba gear, she dove into the water. After searching for a few minutes with the data shades, she found the Gundanium traces again. She headed in that general direction, trying to imagine what the suit would look like. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed the suit. She dove down towards the suit.  
  
*****  
  
Ray docked at the base and refueled. He gave orders through the ship's communicator, but otherwise didn't speak to anyone. He was silently willing Cat to hurry up. He tried calling her radio, but she didn't pick up.  
  
"She must be out of the Pisces," he said out loud. He was silently wishing that he were telepathic.  
  
'You know you are, don't you?' Cat's voice echoed in his head.  
  
'How'd you do that?' he asked.  
  
'I could hear, if that's what you could call it, trying to hurry me up. I'm fine; don't worry. Yes, I am out of the ship.'  
  
'I'm lifting off in fifteen minutes. I want you to attack in twenty, so that I'll have time to lift off. Five minutes after that, I'll make a fly- by so that I can pick you up. Got it?'  
  
'Loud and clear. I'm stuck at a glass dome right now, and I don't know how to get around it. I'll catch up with you later, I guess.'  
  
*****  
  
Cat tried everything to get through that glass dome. Just as she was going to give up, she spotted the door. She swam down and tried it. Another dead end. She let out a shriek of frustration and slammed her fist into the door.  
  
"If my name is Katazyna Yuy, and I am the daughter of Heero Yuy, then why can't I get even a freaking door to open!" she yelled. And to her great surprise, the door opened. The hatch it led to quickly filled with water, taking Cat with it. The doors closed, and the water drained out. She removed her helmet and studied the door. A picture flashed through her head of someone running their finger down the door that she was facing.  
  
"What the heck," she muttered, and ran her finger down the middle of the door. It silently slid open, and she entered.  
  
There, standing proud in the middle of the dome was her father's suit. Gaping, she looked up at her father's suit, graceful but deadly. It awoke something inside of her, a fire that had just been a spark before. She scaled the Gundam's right leg, and climbed into the open cockpit. She accessed the message that she had both anticipated and dreaded since Ray had found Deathscythe.  
  
Heero Yuy's face showed up on the screen. He was famous for have a face like stone, never showing any emotion, but now sadness showed. That same flat voice came over the speakers.  
  
The message of the warrior Heero Yuy.  
  
"My daughter, Katazyna. Cat, if you're seeing this, then I'm not here. Please listen to me carefully: You are probably with Ray, Duo Maxwell's son, and you probably already know that the others that were stolen that same night that you were are related to the other Gundam pilots and Zechs Merquise. There are two other suits hidden, a Deathscythe and an Epyon.  
  
"You have probably noticed that you have special abilities. Quatre was empathic. I am clairvoyant, meaning I could see things through an inner sight, with just a small amount of precognition. Use these abilities well, and you will have an advantage over your enemies, though it may be a small one.  
  
"The ZERO system is still installed. You may choose to use it, you may not. I don't know how much the technology has advanced since you were taken. Don't let your emotions get into the battle. That will only make things worse. Your mission is to stop Neo OZ from taking full control of everything, and if they already have, to destroy them completely. Please, don't turn this into Operation Meteor. I'm sure that you have fared well against OZ, but you are in dire need of help. Take this suit, and use it well. Make me proud, Katazyna Yuy, daughter of the perfect soldier." And for the first time, Heero Yuy had tears in his eyes. "Farewell, my daughter."  
  
The screen went blank. She sat staring at it for a minute, locking her father's picture into her memory.  
  
She turned to the control panel. Her fingers danced over the controls. The screens hummed to life as she bowed her head, searching inside of herself. Her head shot up, eyes shining with unshed tears. The dome around her started to crack, and the sea that surrounded it started rushing in. She fired the ZERO's jets, and shot out of the water. She found the suit's Beam Saber and sliced the Pisces in half before jetting off towards her destination.  
  
"Ray?" she contacted the shuttle. "I found ZERO."  
  
"Good. I've just lifted off, so I want you over here A.S.A.P. Blow up the Pisces first, though," he replied.  
  
"Got it. Hey, don't worry about picking me up. This thing has a bird mode, so I'll rendezvous with you just outside the atmosphere," Cat said. Ray nodded, and closed communications.  
  
Cat turned the suit towards the OZ base. She aimed her Buster Rifle at the control tower, and fired. The tower burst into flames, along with several of the surrounding buildings and Mobile Suits. As alarms started sound throughout the base, she shot off and transformed into bird mode. The suit started glowing red from the friction of going through the atmosphere. She easily caught up with Ray's shuttle.  
  
"Hey, I'm having deja vu. How about you?" Ray asked when he saw her.  
  
"Definitely. Colony 12 is straight ahead," Cat replied.  
  
"I know. How'd you get through that glass dome?"  
  
"I yelled my real name and that I was Heero's daughter at the hatch I found. After that, it was simple. Am I going crazy, or were we talking without a radio back there?"  
  
"Yeah," Ray replied  
  
"To which one?"  
  
"Both."  
  
"Oh, shut up," Cat said, grinning. "It's not like you're not a little crazy yourself."  
  
"But at least I have shoes," Ray retorted.  
  
"That's it! You are so freaking going to get it when we get back to the colony!" Cat exclaimed, still grinning. Ray laughed.  
  
"I haven't seen you act like this since... well, I don't remember when," Ray replied. Cat sighed, all the laughter gone from her voice.  
  
"I haven't had reason to act like this. Too many deaths, and not a moment to grieve."  
  
"I know what you mean. And I don't even know if Lance is alive or not. And when we get him back, we'll be unbeatable! Do you agree with me?" he asked. The hope in his voice caught her off guard.  
  
She didn't respond. They flew the rest of the way in silence.  
  
Chapter IV Good-bye, Brother  
  
They arrived at the Colony and docked the shuttle and took their Gundams to the hanger. Cat looked up at her father's Gundam, studying it. The wings made it look like a fallen angel. She sighed and walked away. Ray caught up with her.  
  
"I propose that we go back to our rooms," Ray said. Cat shook her head.  
  
"You go ahead. I've got something I want to do," she replied, and walked off. Ray walked back to their room. His sketchbooks were still lying where he had thrown them before the battle. He shook his head and smiled sadly.  
  
'I wonder where Lance is,' he thought to himself. He climbed into his bed and lay down. He stared at the ceiling, running through the entire thing that had happened in his head. He sat up and got out of bed. He walked out the door.  
  
*****  
  
Cat was walking through the hanger, looking at all the different Mobile Suits and Dolls. She stopped and looked up at one of the Dolls.  
  
"They're pretty magnificent, aren't they?" came a voice from her left. She turned and looked at the person standing beside her, then turned back the Doll.  
  
"Yeah, they are, Logan. You and your technicians are doing a good job," she replied. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ray step up beside her. "Hello, Ray."  
  
"Hey. Is this what you were going to do?" he asked. She nodded.  
  
"Ray, this is Logan Estes. Logan, this is Ray," she replied. The two men shook hands. Logan turned his attention to the two Gundams that Ray and Cat had brought back. He whistled softly.  
  
"So those are the Gundams. Well, I never expected to see them again," he said. Ray looked over at him sharply.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.  
  
"I was in the fight that your fathers fought many years ago. Those Gundams were an awesome sight, I'll tell you. They were deadly graceful, and they entranced me. But I'm to old to fight now, so I build Mobile Suits instead," Logan replied. "I was in a fight against Gundam 05."  
  
"Wufei Chang's Gundam," Cat commented. She turned to leave. "You coming, Ray?" she asked. He turned to look at her.  
  
"Sure," he replied. They said good-bye to Logan, then left. They walked through the crowded colony streets in silence.  
  
"What's eating you?" Ray asked, pulling her down on a bench under a nearby tree. She sat obediently. Her eyes were fuzzy and unfocused. Ray shook her.  
  
"Snap out of it!" he said. She slowly shook her head, as though trying to shake away some of the thoughts that were going through her head. She lifted her head to meet Ray's eyes.  
  
"Where is Lance?" she asked. Her piercing blue eyes were no longer fuzzy, but they were a little unfocused, as though she were looking through him, rather than at him. Ray shook his head.  
  
"I don't know," he replied.  
  
"You can't feel him? You're his twin. Twins have a bond that goes deeper than blood. Can you feel your brother, Ray?" she asked, her voice flat. Ray's eyes went wide.  
  
"We're going to Colony 21," Ray said. He grabbed Cat's hand and started running down the street. He led her through the crowds and into the hanger. They boarded their Gundams and took off, making a beeline for Colony 21.  
  
Cat started laughing. "I'll tell you one thing. I thought I was dying when I self-destructed. And you know what?"  
  
"What?" Ray replied, sound like he wasn't really paying attention  
  
"Dying hurts like Hell," she finished. Ray looked over at her, and started laughing himself.  
  
They arrived at Colony 21 after about an hour. They left their Gundams on the outside of the outside of the Colony, and entered a hatch, unnoticed, in their space suits. They ducked into a closet and stashed their suits in a corner before they entered the main colony.  
  
Ray led her to a large gathering of people. They slipped through the crowd until they were on the front row. There was a preacher at a pulpit giving a sermon. Ray tried to go closer, but a security guard stopped him.  
  
"I'm looking for my brother. That might be him in there," he explained. The security guard just looked at him.  
  
"What does your brother look like?" he asked.  
  
"He looks like me. He's my twin," Ray replied. He caught a snatch of the sermon.  
  
"And my God take this nameless boy's soul up to his kingdom..." he was saying. The security guard led Ray over to a man sitting behind the preacher.  
  
"This boy says he is looking for his brother," he said to the man. The man looked Ray over.  
  
"Yes. You're brother is in that casket. I'm sorry, my boy," the man said, clapping Ray on the shoulder. Ray just stood there, dumbstruck, before turning and racing away. Cat followed him.  
  
"Ray! Ray! What's wrong?" she asked him when she caught up with him. She saw the tears in his eyes.  
  
"That was Lance. Lance is dead!" he yelled, putting on a sudden burst of speed. She followed him to the closet where they had hidden their space suits. Before she could even enter, he was already out the door. She put hers on and followed him. By the time she got to her Gundam, his was gone. She cursed under her breath before taking off.  
  
The colony exploded behind her. Cat was thrown forward into the controls. She straightened, wiping blood off of her face. She turned and saw Deathscythe jetting out of the blast. She followed his Gundam to the next colony. She turned her Gundam to face his.  
  
*****  
  
Anger seethed inside of him. He turned the next colony, only to see ZERO in front of him.  
  
"What the heck are you doing?" she yelled, opening communications.  
  
"Get out of my way, Cat," he said evenly. His eyes were burning with anger. "I'm going to blow up every single colony I can."  
  
"No, you're not," she replied. "Not while I'm around."  
  
"Okay, then. I'll just go around you," he said, and then shot up. Cat stayed there, shocked, before following him. She appeared in front of him yet again, ZERO's wings spread. The suit looked for all the world like an angel shoved this turbulent time.  
  
"You're not going to blow up this colony," she said. "I've lost more than you have. You barely even knew Quro and Taro and Matt. I've lost all of them, but do you see me flying off and blowing things up?"  
  
"You're not going to talk reason into me, Cat," he replied. Cat sighed sadly.  
  
"I'll have to shoot you then," she said, raising her Twin Buster Rifle. Deathscythe gave a warning beep that signified that she had locked onto his suit. "Please, Ray, don't make me do this. All I have to do is turn on the ZERO program and push the button."  
  
Ray turned his Gundam and shot off the other direction. Cat followed, cutting him off again.  
  
"Please, don't do this Ray!" she exclaimed, leveling her gun at him again. Ray sighed and turned off his Triple Beam Scythe. "You don't have to do this!"  
  
Ray didn't respond. He just turned his Gundam around and headed towards Colony 12. Cat breathed a sigh of relief, put her gun down, and followed him.  
  
Ray turned his Gundam out towards the stars just before he went into the colony. Cat tensed again, ready to stop him. But she didn't need to.  
  
"Good-bye, brother," he whispered, and entered the colony.  
  
Chapter V Attack Over Dinner  
  
The next day, Ray and Cat were working hard on the improved versions of the Mobile Dolls. They didn't talk except to request tools that they needed.  
  
Finally, around lunch, Ray broke the silence.  
  
"I'm sorry for how I reacted," he said. Cat looked at him in mild surprise.  
  
"It's okay. You did what I've felt like doing since our first encounter with Lanoll," Cat replied.  
  
"But you didn't do it. I did. I destroyed the entire colony," Ray said. He looked away from her. "I let my emotions get in the way." Cat laid her hand on his cheek.  
  
"We've all done that at one point or another. Heero Yuy did, and he was the 'perfect soldier,'" Cat replied. "Let's go grab some lunch and get back to work."  
  
They found a nearby deli and grabbed a couple of sandwiches. They ate them on the way back, and between bites discussed the Dolls that they were building.  
  
"What weapons are they going to have?" Cat asked. Ray chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed.  
  
"A Beam Rifle, probably. But they're more than likely going to have shields, too. I'm going to see if I can get them to be controlled manually from the colony," he replied. They entered the hanger and started working again.  
  
Four hours and several grease stains later, they were done for the day. They both walked into Cat's quarters. Cat picked up the black pawn and moved the white pawn up one space. She also removed two of the white pawns and a white bishop before perching on the desk. Ray sat on the bed.  
  
He picked up her notebook that was lying beside her bed and started looking through it. The next thing he knew, he was staring at air.  
  
"You don't go through my notebook," she said, jumping back up on the desk.  
  
"Okay, okay. I was just curious about what you write in there," he said. "I noticed one about a little girl."  
  
"That's the one I wrote when we first got to the colony," Cat explained  
  
"Will you read it?" Ray asked. Cat opened her notebook to the poem.  
  
"In the dark of the night, Father gone off to fight. Everything to gain, Everything to lose. Would you do the same in his shoes? Daughter and mother left wondering, Afraid and pondering. "Hold me tight, mommy," says the girl. Wrapped safe in her mother's arms, Waiting to see what comes with the dawn. Slowly the day breaks, Oh, how long it takes! The door blows in. It's not her dad. A foot steps on a sketchpad. A woman's shriek, She's gone in a blink. The girl looks in wonder. She starts to cry, No one left to dry her eyes. More cries join the girl. All is happening in a whirl! More children come. Five boys join the daughter. All that's left in their houses is slaughter Many lives were taken, Too many that will never awaken. Only the children are left. Five boys and a girl, All that's left of their world. As they grow, The more they know. The more they long for their pasts. Their pasts that were taken, Like the dead that will never awaken. Oh, those many years ago. Yet they don't know. Their path uncertain. Their whole lives lay ahead, Yet they face it with dread. Like father, Like son, Like daughter. They will fight. Their past will be unveiled, And may good forever prevail."  
  
She looked up at him. Ray was deep in thought.  
  
"Was that a memory?" he asked finally. Cat shrugged.  
  
"I think so. But it came to me in third-person, like I was watching a movie or something," she replied.  
  
"That little girl is you," Ray said. "Then the woman was your mother?"  
  
Cat started to reply, stopped, and thought for a second. "No, she wasn't my mother. She was a baby-sitter, or a maid. I don't remember."  
  
"I remember my mother. She was tall, at least to me, and she was always laughing. So was my father, come to think of it," Ray said.  
  
"I remember my mother and father, but not very much. I was really little when they were killed and I was taken," Cat said. She stared down at the notebook. "I've got to find out all I can."  
  
"I want to find out what I can too. But I'm not sure where to start. I've been working my way through OZ's databases, but I haven't found much," Ray replied. He turned to look out at the colony. He saw the people walking up and down the sidewalks. He watched a small girl and her parents walk into a toy store, then turned to look back at Cat. To his surprise, she was beside him, also looking out the window.  
  
"They're so happy," Cat commented.  
  
"They don't know what's going on," Ray said.  
  
"They know more than you think," Cat replied softly. "They know what they want. The Earth's Sphere United Nation that Relena Peacecraft established didn't work for the long-term advantages."  
  
"So you're saying that she was wrong?" Ray asked, perplexed. Cat shook her head.  
  
"No, she had the right idea. But one big nation isn't the answer?"  
  
"So what is?"  
  
"I don't know. I was thinking smaller nations that answered to one ruler," Cat said. She stood up.  
  
Ray stood and stretched. "I'm going to change clothes and wash up, then I'm going to dinner. You coming with me?" Ray asked. Cat just nodded. Ray exited through the main door instead of the one that would lead into Matt's room.  
  
He changed into a clean black shirt and a pair of black jeans. He pulled out his leather jacket and went to Cat's quarters. He knocked and she let him in. She had changed into a clean white blouse and black jeans.  
  
"Just a minute," she said, and walked into the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later with her hair in a knot at the back of her neck.  
  
"Let's go," Ray said. They walked out into the main colony and started walking. Cat let Ray lead her to a restaurant. The host seated them and walked off.  
  
Cat looked around. "Nice," she commented, fingering the long-stemmed rose that was in a crystal vase on the table. She turned her gaze back to Ray.  
  
"Are we going to get Epyon?" she asked. Ray looked up at her sharply from his menu.  
  
"Epyon? Where is it?" he asked.  
  
"Antarctica."  
  
"Brilliant," Ray said, clapping his hand to his forehead. "Yeah, I guess we have to before somebody else finds it. But how are we going to get it?" Ray asked, then gave the waiter his orders. Cat did the same.  
  
When the waiter walked away, she replied, "We'll take Deathscythe and ZERO in a shuttle. We'll head down there, staying as far away from the OZ base as possible." She waited for Ray to respond.  
  
"That'll work, I guess. When do we leave?" he asked. Cat shrugged. Her gaze wasn't on him. Ray heard a click behind him and stiffened, but didn't move. He saw Cat's hand inching towards the vase.  
  
"You are under arrest by OZ," the guard said. Cat grabbed the vase and hurled it at the guy's head. Ray ducked as a shot rang out.  
  
"Run!" he yelled, grabbing Cat's hand. Dodging other patrons and waiters, they headed for the exit. Another guard appeared in front of them. Ray aimed a kick near the guard's waist. He went down and they kept on going. Bursting out the doors, they headed toward the hanger.  
  
"Go get Deathscythe!" Cat said, heading towards their quarters. "Forget the shuttle! I'll catch up with you. Don't argue. GO!" She raced off. Ray jumped and landed on the open cockpit door. He fired up Deatscythe and signaled for the hanger door to open.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I've been ordered not to let anyone out," the operator said. Ray shrugged.  
  
"Fine. I'll open it myself," he replied. Activating his Triple Beam Scythe, he sliced the door open and shot out. Cloaking his Gundam, he turned to wait for Cat.  
  
She emerged a few minutes later, trying to contact him. "Ray?"  
  
"I'm here," he said, letting his shields down. "Where'd you go?"  
  
"I grabbed our notebooks and laptops. I didn't want OZ to find anything," she replied.  
  
"Good idea. The last thing we need is OZ finding out everything we've found out," Ray said. "I hope you grabbed some warm clothes, 'cuz we're heading to Antarctica."  
  
"Goody," Cat said sarcastically. "The perfect end to a perfect day. I always wanted to become a human popsicle." Ray laughed softly.  
  
"Don't worry. Epyon can't be that hard to find, can it?"  
  
"Famous last words."  
  
Chapter VI Battle in Space II  
  
They flew on for several hours. About seven hours in, Ray opened the communications.  
  
"Do you have an exact location on this thing?" he asked.  
  
"Not really. Father said that it was in a glacier, but that was it," she replied. Suddenly,she let out a hiss of pain. "Stupid OZ guards," she cursed.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"My arm got grazed by a bullet," she said, scrounging through the storage containers in the cockpit. When she didn't find anything, she ripped a strip of her blouse off and tied it around her upper left arm.  
  
"That OZ guy shot you?" Ray asked. Cat nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but I threw off his aim by chunking that vase at him," she replied.  
  
Ray grinned. "Yeah, that would make someone miss their mark," he said. Cat finished tying the makeshift bandage.  
  
About and hour later, their alarms went off.  
  
"What the... OZ troops!" Ray yelled. "They're too far off to do anything right now. Do we fight or run?"  
  
"We fight. They've spotted us anyway," Cat replied as the shuttles turned in their direction.  
  
"Cat, I want you to circle around behind them, but stay out the range of their radars. I'll draw their attention. If they start firing, start picking them off, but stay out of sight," Ray said. Cat nodded.  
  
"Okay. I'm off," Cat replied, and jetted off. Ray turned his attention back to the advancing transport ships.  
  
"Unidentified Mobile Suit, please identify yourself," came a woman's voice over the com system. "This is OZ transport fleet 809. Do you read?"  
  
"Yeah, you're coming in loud and clear, lady," Ray responded. "How many suits are you transporting?"  
  
"There are twenty-five suits in each ship, and we have eight ships in all," the woman responded. "About two hundred."  
  
"Perfect," Ray said. He activated his Beam Scythe.  
  
"Do you mean to fight us?"  
  
"You bet," he said. "That is, if you attack." The woman's face appeared on the view screen.  
  
"Why... You're that escaped pilot from OZ! We all have orders to kill you on sight," she said. To someone behind her, she ordered, "Release the Dolls! I don't care what our orders are!" To Ray she said, "We'll fight you."  
  
Ray smirked. "Fine by me," he said. He shut down communications with the fleet and opened them again with Cat. "Are you in position?"  
  
"I guess. I'm not exactly sure where to be, but I think this'll work," she replied.  
  
"Where are you?" he asked, searching the radar. "I can't find you."  
  
"I'm on a colony."  
  
"On a colony?! Why are you on a colony?"  
  
"You told me to stay off of their radars. So, I'm staying off of their radars," she replied. Ray shook his head.  
  
"Whatever you say," he muttered, turning back to the fleet. They were releasing their Mobile Dolls. He swung his scythe in a half-circle, destroying six Dolls. One exploded to his left, another at two o' clock. He swung his scythe into one of the shuttles. Suddenly, he was hit from behind. He whirled around, but there was nothing there.  
  
"Cat? Did you hit me from behind?" he asked.  
  
"What? No! I'm in front of you!" she said. Her suit suddenly gave a warning beep. She caught a glimpse of something scarlet. She slowed down that tape, letting the computer have time to identify the suit. I came up with nothing.  
  
"Ray, take a look at this," she said, sending him the image of the suit.  
  
"No idea," he replied. Cat looked at it again, zooming in and freezing the image.  
  
"It's not a Doll, I can tell you that much," she said. "Ray, get out of there! I'm fixing to blow this fleet to bits!" Ray shot off as Cat charged up her Twin Buster Rifles. She shot off a blast that destroyed three ships. The explosions caused chain reaction explosions with the rest of the ships and the half of the remaining Dolls. The other Dolls shut down with out something to give them orders. Ray sliced half of them while Cat vaporized the others.  
  
"Can we go to Antarctica now?" Cat asked. "We need to find Epyon."  
  
"We're heading there now," Ray said. They changed their suits in Bird Mode and set a course for Antarctica.  
  
Chapter VII Where Is It?  
  
They flew in silence for several hours. Both were on the lookout for anymore OZ troops. They hadn't encountered any so far. 


End file.
